If Memory Serves Me...

Dang.  This week was busy.  I can hardly remember what I made for suppers!

M-Beef and Bean Chili Verde

T- Bacon Pierogi Bake
   I thought this was really good.  Britt and my friend Danny both said that eating this reminded them they weren't big "pierogi" people...  Everyone liked the sauce and the tomatoes... so...I guess, if you want to dress pierogis up a bit, this might be the recipe for you!

W- Baked Potatoes with leftover Chili

Th- Thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's
  I made Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun Cake and Crockpot Irish Coffee.  Both delish!
F- Wedding

Yummy Whole Grain Cookies!!

I tried these Whole Grain Peanut Butter M&M Cookies this week and I am in LOVE.  This will be my new "monster cookie" recipe for sure!  I left M&Ms out of half of them for Britt and they were still great!  I also could probably put less M&Ms in my half than what is called for (imagine) because there were tons...

I will be making another batch of these this weekend!

One Year Plan Check-In

I am proud to report that my Nutrition and Exercise program is going very well.  I have just completed my 5th week following Beck's Diet Solution (which is cognitive behavior therapy based) and I have lost 15 lbs during those 5 weeks!

I have to admit that I am getting impatient.  I want it to go faster. I also am reaching a weight that has been very hard for me to push past in my several attempts at weight loss, so I am a bit nervous about that.  BUT, if I just keep doing what I'm doing I should be fine.

Here are a few main parts of this program that are really helping me:

• Trying to be patient.  Think more about how I will feel a year from now rather than getting disappointed (and throwing in the towel) when results start to slow down.
• Don't make any changes that I can't live with forever.  This has been a big one and really useful.  I don't feel like I'm on a "diet" at all.
• Remember that hunger is not an emergency for me.  I almost always have access to food. I just need to decide if I need anything before my next planned meal.
• Preplan my meals.

I really feel great and I don't foresee me having any problem moving forward with this program... but I'm sure it won't be struggle-free throughout.  For now I'll just keep on keeping on!

This Week's Menu

Ha!  I'm going to get this posted right away this week!  (Actually, I am ignoring the dishes, laundry and floor mopping that is awaiting me.)

M- Bacon-Wrapped Corn Dogs (Don't judge me.) 
  OK. So I decided that this week I wanted to have one meal that was a no-brainer...so I went to the Kraft Foods website and looked under "kid-friendly" and came across this.  I knew Britt would like it...  but wasn't really counting on how much I would like them.  Eek!  I used refrigerated breadsticks because I couldn't find the cornbread twists....and we didn't bother with the popcicle sticks.  We were so full after these...  and I made them completely in line with my diet.  I gotta say, if you ever want/need something that makes you feel like you are really pigging out...give these a try!

T- Leftover Stew from Sunday
  On Sunday I made beef stew in the crockpot.  I had been craving it for awhile.....so I found a basic guideline online and then added what we had and what we liked.  I used potatoes, onions, carrots, beef, beef broth and red wine....and I think that's it.  You really can't go wrong with stew... I would've liked a more gravy like sauce (this was more broth-like)....but it was still really good.

W- Pop Up Pancakes
   Old favorite.

Th- Clam Chowder

F- Pizza

Mom's Meatball Recipe

My mom got this recipe from a nutritionist she saw awhile back.  It's a standard in our family and I will definitely be making it more often!


2 lbs extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 Tbs dried parsley
1 cup oatmeal, cracker meal or oat bran (I use oatmeal)
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 425.   Mix all ingredients and shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Arrange on two baking sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick coating.  Bake for 12 minutes or until done.

Makes about 48 meatballs.  This lasted us several meals!

Last Week's Menu

Not again!  I'm a week behind...how does that happen??  I totally have to try to find my grocery list from last week to remember what we had...


M- French Onion Soup
  This was okay.  I should have cooked the onions for a bit on the stove before adding them to the crockpot.  Britt really liked it, though...and I didn't mind it.  It just wasn't super great.

T- Oatmeal Pancakes
   Our old favorite once again.

W-Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (Mom's recipe!)
   Super yummy!  I will post this recipe in a separate post!

Th- Leftovers

F- Salmon, Rice and Vegetables
  I wanted just a quick guideline for adding some flavor to our salmon fillets.  This was PERFECT.
   

Treats:  Scotcheroo Cookies   Super good.

Cheerio M&M Bars

I noticed this past weekend that we had 3 full boxes of Cheerios in the pantry!  How did this happen??  Well... Britt likes to mix Cheerios and Lucky Charms for breakfast... and whenever I see the Lucky Charms box run out I get both, assuming they disappear at the same time.  APPARENTLY, Brittney puts a little more Lucky Charms in her ratio of cereals  :)

So, I searched for a recipe to use up some of them...One that the kids would enjoy...and this one was really good!!  I loved them, too...  :)



Cheerios Treats

Pumpkin Pie Chex Mix

I came across this recipe about a week ago and immediately sent it to my sister...I thought it was SO something her family would love...and I was right.  I think she's made it a couple of times already...and my Mom made it today...and I have had a taste and it is SO yummy.  A great snack for this time of year and for gifting!

Pumpkin Pie Chex Mix

Last Week's Menu

Can you tell that my Little Ones are keeping me hopping?!?!  OK...before posting this coming week's menu I thought I better post LAST week's menu!

M-  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole-  This was delicious...and seemed kind of fancy.  I did buy the expensive cheese (Gruyere) but you can also use swiss.  This would be something you could take to a brunch potluck and really impress people  :)  We loved it!

T- Quick and Easy Crockpot Chili-  This was a recipe in our local newspaper that I thought I'd try.  It was a good chili, but not our favorite of the ones I've made in the last couple of weeks.  (I seem to be having my own personal chili cook-off this fall!).  It makes a lot so this would be a good one to feed a crowd... (the link includes 2 other chili recipes you might enjoy, too...)

W- I cannot for the life of me remember what we had this night.  I will edit this post when I think of it!

Th- Baked Potatoes and Leftover Chili

F-  At my parent's house!